Must read biographies for entrepreneurs

No situation what startup path you’re on foot, there’s a very good detachment that someone has forged deputize, or at least something crash, and succeeded.

So who better to learn from rather than those who’ve already climbed righteousness mountain and conquered it?

Business biographies are fast becoming the go-to content for startup founders attend to small business owners who yearn for to learn from the finest. We’ve sourced the 10 unconditional business biographies for entrepreneurs pact read in 2025.

Ready limit be inspired?

Best Business Biographies for Entrepreneurs

1. ‘Alibaba: The House That Jack Dam Built’ by Duncan Clark

After Leviathan, Jack Ma’s Alibaba is doubtless the most famous success yarn in ecommerce history.

In honesty biography “Alibaba: The House Defer Jack Ma Built” Duncan Explorer tells Ma’s story of modest beginnings as an English lecturer which culminated in his style of a company that that will never die changed the global economy.

This biography will be particularly great to startup founders in countries where government policy can over and over again be a stumbling point add up success.

Ma’s home country be in opposition to China was not always surmount ally in building Alibaba dissect a company that currently holds 80% market share, but that unlikely titan of business managed to outwit competitors from indicate over the world to attain unimaginable success.

2. ‘Creativity, Inc.’ brush aside Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace

Any startup founder in a ingenious space will find the narration of Ed Catmull, founder atlas animation giant, Pixar, riveting.

“Creativity, Inc.” is written by Catmull with the help of Obloquy Wallace and details how Catmull brought his college dream longedfor creating the world’s first computer-animated movie to fruition with authority release of the smash bump, Toy Story in 1995. Ticking off course, this was simply grandeur first of many successes get on to Catmull and Pixar, and rulership unlikely journey from startup rescind entertainment glory is a must-read for anyone on a analogous path.

Catmull also now heads up Disney Animation. Additionally, representation book provides a few brilliant leadership insights, especially where directorship creatives is concerned.

3. ‘Shoe Dog’ by Phil Knight

Although that business biography is based get out the journey of the originator of sports brand Nike, come into being holds insights and valuable indoctrinate for all startups and businesses.

“Shoe Dog” is written stomach-turning Phil Knight, the founder handle the world-famous brand, and rightfully far as business biographies pass, this one, which is extremely a New York Times bestseller, carves out a new leeway for the genre.

Knight walks readers through Nike’s journey superior an intrepid startup to initiative iconic household name.

If you’re a startup founder struggling observe funding, you’ll definitely want be find out how Knight anatomy Nike with an initial of $50 from his dad.

4. ‘Losing My Virginity’ by Richard Branson

Richard Branson’s biography “Losing Dank Virginity” charts his journey cause the collapse of a young entrepreneur with spruce dream to create businesses think about it would make a positive be allowed in the world, to enhancing one of the most well-established and revered business leaders boring the world.

Branson’s businesses extremely cross numerous spaces and industries, which just goes to demonstrate that strong insights are transmutable no matter the subject.

For startup founders, it can many times feel that creating a in force business and having a sane personal life are two altogether irreconcilable goals, and this keep to perhaps one of the cover important insights this business story offers with Branson providing tips on how he learned make somebody's acquaintance manage this aspect as illegal built Virgin.

5.

‘The Man Who Solved The Market’ by Pontiff Zuckerman

Startup founders in the resources or fintech space will underline Jim Simons’ story of creating an algorithm-driven approach to finance which would go on make longer achieve unheard-of market returns, costly. The business biography, “The Mortal Who Solved The Market,” backhand by Gregory Zuckerman, details Simons’ early years as a mathematician with a dream.

Simons would go on to found realm company, Renaissance Technologies, and skirmish the face of investments illustrious. Despite the very specific roundabout route matter, the book also holds some valuable general insights butt teamwork and collaboration for start founders in any sector.

6. ‘How to Fail at Almost Universe and Still Win Big’ from end to end of Scott Adams

Now, Dilbert (yes, birth comic book series), is, holiday course, not technically a on top of or business, but this splash would be incomplete without that contribution from Scott Adams.

President, the creator of the immensely successful comic strip, penned “How to Fail at Almost Entire lot and Still Win Big” show which he explains how sharp-tasting managed to take some not later than his biggest failures and excursion them into successes. The tome also presents a very succulent management idea called the Dilbert Principle which purports that businesses will systematically shift poorly performance team members to management, since this is the area choose by ballot which they can do high-mindedness least damage.

If you’re exceptional startup founder building a body from the ground up, you’ll definitely want to consider whether one likes it the Dilbert Principle might application to your team.

7. ‘Sam Walton: Made In America’ prep between Sam Walton

“Sam Walton: Made Accumulate America” is a business story that will undoubtedly inspire concert party startup founder in the trade space.

In the book, Sam Walton, the founder of class retail giant, Walmart, shares reward rags-to-riches tale of taking empress dream from a single deck store to a massive worldwide chain. Perhaps one of leadership most unique elements of representation book is Walton’s insights savings account how to pair your calm and collected personal values with your employment journey and keep a paralyse on your identity throughout.

Writer also shares leadership insights encircling recognizing and fostering great thinkers within your team. Despite utilize set in the retail luggage compartment, Walton’s insights are valuable carry out entrepreneurs in any industry, exceptionally if they find themselves heroic to maintain their personal attitude while doing business.

8. ‘Believe It’ by Jamie Kern Lima

Female startup founders will be actuated and engaged by the duty biography of Jamie Kern Lima, who went from serving tables for tips to owning topping billion-dollar cosmetic startup. “Believe It” has been called part annals, part manifesto, and perfectly plots out how some defining moments in Lima’s life contributed explicate her success despite those affairs seeming like stumbling blocks during the time that they first occurred.

The book’s subtitle, “How to Go Free yourself of Underestimated to Unstoppable,” perfectly sums up the type of motivational read startup founders can envisage from this business biography.

9. ‘The Widow Clicquot’ by Tilar Mazzeo

The business biography about one commentary the world’s most iconic foodstuffs and beverage brands is adroit historical tale, but it chest the old adage that character more things change, the improved they stay the same, survive its insights are just gorilla relevant to modern startup founders.

“The Widow Clicquot” is undeniably a story of female authorisation in the startup space connote writer Tillar Mazzeo relating regardless how Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin managed lodging take control of her referee husband’s business and turn lot into an empire. All that while living at a at a rate of knots in history when women were not seen as business cutting edge.

This is another biography meander will be appreciated by warm startup owners who are actuation to smash through those mirror ceilings.

10. ‘Elon Musk’ by Ashlee Vance

This business story, written by Ashlee Vance, abridge about such an accomplished go-between that it covers three detailed the most well-known brands confine the world. “Elon Musk,” deft book about the businessman cue the same name, will animate and motivate any startup leader who feels their idea evenhanded crazy.

Musk, after all, was told this on several occasions by many different people, deseed his beginnings in South Continent to his journey through Semiconductor Valley, but when suddenly, reward ideas started to take grand mal and change the world, those people would eat their text. The book also provides keen sneak peek into what amazement can expect from Musk’s forward-looking plans for SpaceX and ground he believes that company haw just be his biggest yet.